The All-Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), this week launched a crowd-funding channel with a target of N5 billion for its presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Why it matters
The crowd-funding channel is an initiative that allows party faithfuls, friends and well-wishers who believe and share in the vision of Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket to contribute towards the realization of the presidential ambition.
- Nigeria’s constitution permits a political party to spend as much as N5 billion on campaigns, which is exactly the target of the APC.
In between the lines
The crowd-funding channel created by the PCC is surprising to many Nigerians, as the PUNCH newspaper once reported the APC presidential candidate saying in 2019 that he was richer than a state in the country (OSUN). However, it is safe to say, political campaigns in Nigeria are expensive and the financial burden can be shared.
What you should know
S.88 (8) of the Electoral Act pegs the highest donation permissible in Nigeria and per individual to a candidate at N50 million. This means any amount higher than this is an obvious violation of Nigerian laws.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Section 225 (3) of the Constitution and Section (85) of the Election Act addressed the concern of Nigerians regarding donations to campaigns.
This is to limit the influence of money in Nigerian elections. So that the country’s elections are not reduced to the will of the highest bidder or the richest political parties.